BOONE, N.C. - No. 7 Appalachian State University scored on each of its first eight possessions and went on to register its highest offensive output in 71 years in a 79-35 rout over archrival Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon at Kidd Brewer Stadium. With the victory, Appalachian (8-2, 4-2 SoCon) kept custody of the Old Mountain Jug for the 21st time in 23 years and moved within one victory of its third-straight Southern Conference championship.

Appalachian's 79 points and 743 yards were both the second-highest totals in school history, behind only the 788 yards amassed in a 115-0 win at Piedmont on Sept. 26, 1936.

The Mountaineers actually trailed 7-3 early in the first quarter after Western Carolina (1-9, 0-6 SoCon) answered an ASU field goal with a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive on its opening drive.

From there, however, it was all ASU, as it found the end zone on each of its next seven drives to take a commanding 52-21 lead less than two minutes into the second half. In all, Appalachian scored 10 touchdowns and kicked a field goal in its 14 possessions an added an 11th touchdown on a 65-yard interception return by Buck Buchanan Award candidate Corey Lynch (Cape Coral, Fla./Evangelical Christian). ASU did not punt once.

The trio of Walter Payton Award candidate running back Kevin Richardson (Elizabethtown, N.C./East Bladen), quarterback Armanti Edwards (Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood) and wide receiver Hans Batichon (Miami, Fla./North Miami). Richardson rushed for a career-high 215 yards on just 22 carries (9.8 ypr) and scored touchdowns from four, 42 and four yards out. The senior upped his career rushing total to 4,383 yards, just 26 shy of ASU's all-time record of 4,409, set by John Settle (1983-86) and broke Settle's school record for all-purpose yardage by upping his career total to 5,702 yards, 137 better than Settle's previous record mark.

Edwards completed a career-high 26 passes on just attempts for 295 yards and accounted for a career-best five touchdowns (two passing, three rushing) in just two-and-a-half quarters of play. Both of his touchdown passes (seven and 10 yards) went to Batichon, who hauled in a career-high seven passes for 114 yards.

In the first half alone, the Mountaineers racked up 474 yards of offense, including Richardson's 145 on the ground and Edwards' 257 through the air, and scored seven times in seven possessions. The 45 points were the most in a half for the Apps since they scored 45 in the first half of a 64-14 win over West Virginia Tech in 2001.

Defensively, ASU got a season-high four interceptions from Lynch, linebackers D.J. Smith (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) and Pierre Banks (Durham, N.C./Southern) and cornerback Jerome Touchstone (Riverdale, Ga./Riverdale).

Appalachian needs a win over Chattanooga in next Saturday's regular-season finale to earn a share of the SoCon title with Wofford, which clinched no worse than a tie for the title and the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division I playoffs with a 42-16 victory at UTC on Saturday. Elon and Georgia Southern were eliminated from championship contention with losses to The Citadel and Furman, respectively, on Saturday. ASU is bidding to become the first team to win three-consecutive SoCon titles since Georgia Southern won six-straight from 1997-2002.

FURMAN 24, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 22

STATESBORO, GA. ? Jesse Hartley’s 33-yard field goal sailed wide as time expired and Georgia Southern dropped a 24-22 Southern Conference decision Saturday (Nov. 10). The Eagles fell to 7-3 overall and 4-3 in the league.

The third-largest crowd in Paulson Stadium history attended the game - 23,373. That marked the second-largest regular season crowd and most since the top two attendance games came during the 1989 season. Georgia Southern, had it won, would have secured a share of the conference title and received the automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. Now the fate of its season lies with a win at Colorado State next Saturday, and then the waiting game for an at-large bid.

Down by nine with less than six minutes remaining, the Eagles were facing 4th-and-7 from the Furman 33. Jayson Foster’s pass went incomplete but Furman was flagged for pass interference. That put the ball down to the 18. Two plays later, Foster hit fellow senior Dusty Reddick over the middle for 20 yards and his first career touchdown reception. Hartley’s extra point made it a two-point game.

The defense stepped up on Furman’s next drive. On 3rd-and-8 Furman completed a pass for seven yards. But on fourth down Chris Covington forced Jerome Felton to fumble and Terrione Benefield recovered on the Furman 49.

Georgia Southern entered the game first nationally in fourth down conversions. Foster and the Eagles added to that percentage when on 4th-and-6 Foster took a double-reverse and rushed for 10 yards. Lamar Lewis rushed five times for 19 yards, getting down to the 16 yard line as head coach Chris Hatcher called timeout with four seconds left to set up the potential game-winner.

“We were in field goal range and we’re still not the greatest passing team. We’ve got a good kicker and we still have a good kicker. He didn’t kick as well as we wanted him to today, of course, but 33 yards from the left-hash ? that’s where he likes the ball. With the game on the line and a hard-fought game like that, I don’t know what else to do. That’s what we had to do and we just didn’t make the play,” said Hatcher.

For the first time this season, Georgia Southern did not strike first.

Furman (5-5, 3-3) marched down the field on its opening drive. Larry Hedden dropped ball in the endzone on 3rd-and-goal, setting up Scott Beckler’s 22-yard field goal. The Paladins took 7:20 off the clock on their 18-play drive.

The Eagles responded early in the second quarter. Foster found Tim Camp, who out-dueled the sun and his defender, for a 30-yard gain down the left sidelines. Two plays later Raja Andrews made a spectacular diving catch in the corner of the endzone for a 14-yard touchdown. The senior quarterback faked the extra point and found redshirt-freshman defensive end Austin Watts on the 2-point conversion for an 8-3 lead.

Andrews set his personal-high of TD receptions (and matched his career-total) with 8:43 left in the half. On 3rd-and-6 from the Furman 48, Foster hit Andrews down the middle for a TD. On the extra point conversion Hartley tied the Georgia Southern record (Chris Chambers in 1998) of 42 consecutive made in a season. He would later set the record in the fourth quarter.

Furman cut into the Eagles’ lead late in the half. Brantley Kendall caught a 5-yard pass from Renaldo Gray making it 15-10.

Following his first half performance Foster set a Division I (FCS and FBS) season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. He already had the FBS record, then surpassed Matt Cannon’s (Southern Utah) record of 1,602 set seven years ago. The Paladins held Foster to 44 rushing yards in the first half but he completed 6-of-11 passes for 143 yards. Andrews hauled in 64 of those yards while Irving Campbell recorded 49 on two receptions.

Furman opened the third quarter by marching 80 yards on 13 plays while taking 5:22 off the clock. Felton scored from seven yards out and Scott Beckler’s extra point put the Paladins ahead 17-15. Gray capped off a 10-play drive when he rushed for a 9-yard touchdown with 1:32 left in the third quarter. That gave Furman a 24-15 lead.

Midway through the fourth quarter Beckler missed a 47-yard field goal, and that sparked the Eagles to their TD drive.

“Things didn’t look good for us going in to the fourth quarter. We made some good plays when we needed to. We moved the ball down the field. Jayson did a good job on the fourth down play ? he got it and he got banged up there, so we were limited in what we could do. But we were in field goal range and the way the game was going, we were just trying to move it down closer and kick the winning field goal. It’s probably the most heart-breaking defeat I’ve ever had as a head coach,” said Hatcher.

Foster finished 10-of-22 passing for 190 yards (the second-highest total in his career) and a personal-high three TDs. He also rushed for 82 yards, but for the first time in his career as a starting quarterback he failed to record a rushing touchdown. Foster also joined elite company, becoming the first Eagle QB since Greg Hill in 1999 to record 1,000 yards rushing and passing.

Entering into the regular season finale, Foster now has 1,649 yards ? the third-highest single season total in GS history and most by anyone not named Adrian Peterson. He also has 1,096 passing yards while completing 64 percent of his passes. Foster, registering his 21st-career multi-touchdown game, has 27 TDs accounted for this season.

Lewis rushed for a game-high 86 yards on 17 attempts. Andrews finished with 71 receiving yards and Campbell added 60 on three receptions.

Linebacker Quentin Taylor and defensive end Dakota Walker both recorded personal-highs. Taylor registered a game- and team season-high 14 tackles while Walker added 10 stops. E.J. Webb was close behind with nine.

Gray completed 22-of-34 passes for 232 yards, in addition to 49 rushing yards. Felton had 52 yards rushing. Hedden caught a team-high eight passes for 78 yards. Defensively, Julian Hicks has 11 tackles.

THE CITADEL 42, ELON 31

CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Sophomore wide receiver Andre Roberts caught eight passes for 180 yards and a touchdown, and freshman quarterback Bart Blanchard threw for 370 yards and three scores as The Citadel ensured their first winning season in 10 years with a 42-31 victory over Elon on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

Roberts set a new Bulldog record on his seventh catch of the day for receptions in a season with 70, breaking Scooter Johnson’s record of 69 in 2002. Blanchard went 22-29 to amass his 370 yards through the air and added 55 yards on the ground on 21 carries. The Citadel (6-4, 4-3 SoCon) racked up 513 total yards of offense in their Southern Conference finale and finished with a 4-3 record in league play for the second consecutive season. It was also the Bulldogs’ third straight win over the Phoenix (6-4, 4-3 SoCon) and they are now 6-1 against Elon all-time.

Elon quarterback Scott Riddle went 30-53 for 381 yards and three touchdowns. He found wide receiver Terrell Hudgins often as he caught eight passes for 161 yards and a touchdown.

The Phoenix struck first in the game on their second offensive possession. After a 27-yard punt return by cornerback Karlos Sullivan put Elon at The Citadel 31-yard line, Riddle found wide receiver Michael Mayers two plays later at the four-yard line. Riddle then found Hudgins two plays later on a fade route from four yards out for the score. Andrew Wilcox added the extra-point for a 7-0 lead with 7:49 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs came right back to tie it on their next drive as they drove 84 yards in six plays. On a third-and-five play from the Bulldog 32, Blanchard swung a screen pass to Roberts who then raced 68 yards for the score, the longest play of the season for the Bulldogs. Mike Adams hit the extra-point to tie the contest at seven.

The Citadel took advantage of an Elon turnover early in the second quarter as linebacker Andrew Rowell intercepted a Riddle pass at the Phoenix 17-yard line and returned it to the three. After Elon’s defense stuffed the Bulldogs on three straight runs, The Citadel went for it on fourth-and-one at the one-yard line and senior running back Tory Cooper barreled his way into the end zone. Adams knocked the point after through to give the Cadets a 14-7 advantage with 13:03 remaining in the second quarter.

Elon came right back to tie the game with a 66-yard, seven-play drive. Riddle scrambled into the end zone from seven yards out for the Phoenix score. Wilcox nailed the extra-point to tie the contest at 14.

The Bulldogs quickly answered with a scoring drive of their own. On a third-and-eleven play from the Elon 49, Blanchard hit senior wide receiver Tim Higgins down the middle and Higgins raced for the 49-yard score. Adams added the point after for a 21-14 lead.

The Phoenix cut into the lead with a 66-yard, nine-play drive. After driving to the eight-yard line, the Bulldog defense was able to hold Elon out of the end zone after Riddle’s pass for wide receiver Bo Williamson was incomplete on third-and-goal. Wilcox hit a 28-yard field goal to make it 21-17 with 4:31 remaining until halftime.

The Cadets added to their lead just before the half as they drove 62 yards in 11 plays. Cooper added his second one-yard touchdown run of the game to cap the drive and extend the Bulldog advantage. The touchdown broke the school’s record for touchdowns in a season with 17. The previous record of 16 was set in 1994 by Terrence Rivers. Adams hit the extra-point to make it 28-17 heading into the locker rooms.

Elon grabbed the momentum in the second half as they scored two touchdowns to take the lead back. The Phoenix’s third drive of the second half ended with a touchdown as after a 30-yard pass from Riddle to Hudgins put Elon at the 30 of the Bulldogs, Riddle threw a 30-yard strike to Williamson for the score. Wilcox’s extra-point made it 28-24.

The Phoenix grabbed the lead with a 95-yard, eight-play drive the next time they got the ball. It was the combination of Riddle and Hudgins lifting Elon again as Riddle beat the Bulldog blitz on a screen pass to Hudgins, who raced 43 yards for the score. Wilcox knocked the point after through to give the Phoenix a 31-28 advantage with 3:09 left in the third quarter.

But it was all Bulldogs after that as they took the lead for good on their next possession. After a third-down pass from Blanchard to freshman tight end Alex Sellars put The Citadel at the Elon 10-yard line, Blanchard found junior tight end Taylor Cornett on third-and-goal for a four-yard touchdown. Adams hit the extra-point for a 35-31 lead.

The Bulldog defense made a big stop on the next Elon possession. After driving to the Bulldog 10-yard line, Elon was stuffed on two straight runs to give the ball back to The Citadel. Senior defensive end Trevar Broughton and sophomore defensive end Dewitt Jones hit running back T.J. Clegg for a four-yard loss on fourth-and-two.

The Citadel took over and drove 86 yards in seven plays to put the game away. On third-and-one from the Bulldog 37, Blanchard hit Roberts with a beautiful pass down the sideline for a 50-yard gain to the Elon 13-yard line. Two plays later, Cooper ran it to paydirt from four yards out for his third score of the game. Adams’ extra-point made it 42-31 with 6:02 left in the contest.

The Phoenix made one more attempt to get back into the game as they drove to the Bulldog 15-yard line. After a third-down pass attempt from Riddle to Clegg fell incomplete, Elon’s final hopes to get back into the contest ended after Rowell blocked a 32-yard field goal by Wilcox with 3:42 left. Rowell’s last game at Johnson Hagood Stadium was a good one as he had 6.5 tackles in addition to the interception and blocked field goal.